Apocalyptic novelist Max Brooks is something of an expert on planning for pandemics and other disasters. The author, whose books include World War Z, Germ Warfare and the forthcoming Devolution, has toured the CDC and reviewed government response plans related to various emergency situations — all in the course of research.
"We have a network in place that we as taxpayers have been funding to get us ready for something just like this," Brooks says of the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic. But, he adds, "we have been disastrously slow and disorganized from day one."
Brooks says the notion that the U.S. government was blindsided by the pandemic is "an onion of layered lies."
"What could have happened when this virus exploded — even when Wuhan was locked down — is we could have put the word out," he says. "The government could have put the word out to ramp up emergency supplies to get them ready, and then have an information strategy in place."
Instead, Brooks says, President Trump was slow to acknowledge the virus as a real threat. And thus far, the president has resisted using the Defense Production Act to force private companies to manufacture masks, gloves and other essential supplies in the fight against the coronavirus. Many government task forces that plan for disasters have yet to be activated in this crisis.
"One of the biggest problems we're facing now is panic. You see it in the stock market. You see it in panic buying," he says. "'All of this panic could have been prevented. ... If the president had been working since January to get the organs of government ready for this, we as citizens could have been calmed down knowing that the people that we trust to protect us are doing that."
41 minute podcast and interview highlights in link. I did not get to listen to this, just saw it online and thought some here may be interested.
Author Max Brooks On COVID-19: 'All Of This Panic Could Have Been Prevented' : NPR
We will hopefully learn from this, and we will hopefully all help government pass legislation that helps make us the world leader in responding to pandemics. But, since there isn’t big money in it...just saving lives, I see little evidence Republicans will be that excited about it.
41 minute podcast and interview highlights in link. I did not get to listen to this, just saw it online and thought some here may be interested.
Author Max Brooks On COVID-19: 'All Of This Panic Could Have Been Prevented' : NPR
41 minute podcast and interview highlights in link. I did not get to listen to this, just saw it online and thought some here may be interested.
Author Max Brooks On COVID-19: 'All Of This Panic Could Have Been Prevented' : NPR
41 minute podcast and interview highlights in link. I did not get to listen to this, just saw it online and thought some here may be interested.
Author Max Brooks On COVID-19: 'All Of This Panic Could Have Been Prevented' : NPR
I do not think the panic could have been prevented by anything short of an ability to see perfectly into the future. And it would have had to be foreseen a decade ago to have prepared for it in any manner that would have come close to adequate. I do concede that Donald Trump certainly should have immediately moved to replenish the Federal government's emergency medical supply stockpile that President George W. Bush had put into place and which was used up by President Barack Obama to fight H1N1.
But no matter what, people would still be out of work and many businesses will be closed forever as a result of this. There still would have been a rush on grocery stores for household supplies and non-perishable foods. This disease is going to cause many of us to lose loved ones who may have survived less serious viral infections due to overwhelming our healthcare infrastructure. Nothing could have or would have completely prevented the sense of emotional panic and dread over this virus.
The panic could have been avoided had the democrats in the House been working on it in January instead of tying up all three branches in a pointless political stunt known as Impeachment that stretched into the first week of February after which the democrats obsessed on ermagard,
Trump is going to start World War III by bombing a terrorist.
That is an incredibly nasty comment. It was the George W. Bush administration which put medical emergency preparedness into place back in 2006. It was because of that preparedness that Obama had the supplies necessary to respond to the H1N1 outbreak back in 2009. Partisan bickering never served to save a single life.
All the signs were there. All the evidence was there that this was going to be much, much worse than the flu.
Trump decided not to test people because he felt that higher numbers could lead to an election defeat.
Be careful what you wish for, Mr. President, because you just might get it.
You say this, as you liked a partisan bickering post by "Drawdown". Ironic, eh?
It was not a partisan comment, Puigb. Drawdown was correct. It was second guessing Monday Morning Quarterbacking nonsense, because, as I said, even if Donald Trump had done everything recommended by Max Brooks, it would not have prevented a panic.
That is not the problem that is causing the panic.
The panic is caused by supply shortages (of everything), the lack of ICU beads and respirators, AND the stay-at-home orders and business shut down orders. Nothing any president could have done would completely prevent a sense of panic. Nothing. However well-prepared the Federal government was, you cannot tell some tens of million business owners to shutter their businesses and over a hundred million workers to stay home from work and somehow prevent a sense of anxiety and growing sense of panic.
first, I'm not seeing the shortages you're seeing. And I'm going to type this real slow for you because I think I've overestimated your intelligence but the Federal Govt was not "well-prepared". the guy in charge of the Federal govt not only ignored the intel that could have made the Federal govt "well-prepared" but he was also telling us it was a hoax. This is actually starting to remind me of bush ignoring the intel that could have prevented 9-11. He too pushed back at reality for his own agenda.
May I ask you something personal, Vern? Are you working right now?
41 minute podcast and interview highlights in link. I did not get to listen to this, just saw it online and thought some here may be interested.
Author Max Brooks On COVID-19: 'All Of This Panic Could Have Been Prevented' : NPR
Because I like you felis I will answer your deflecting question. Yes I am working. Now can we get back your "well-prepared" comment that defies reality and ignores trump's gross incompetence?
Second guessing bull****.
That is not the problem that is causing the panic.
The panic is caused by supply shortages (of everything), the lack of ICU beads and respirators, AND the stay-at-home orders and business shut down orders. Nothing any president could have done would completely prevent a sense of panic. Nothing. However well-prepared the Federal government was, you cannot tell some tens of million business owners to shutter their businesses and over a hundred million workers to stay home from work and somehow prevent a sense of anxiety and growing sense of panic.
Second guessing bull****.
first, I'm not seeing the shortages you're seeing. And I'm going to type this real slow for you because I think I've overestimated your intelligence but the Federal Govt was not "well-prepared". the guy in charge of the Federal govt not only ignored the intel that could have made the Federal govt "well-prepared" but he was also telling us it was a hoax. This is actually starting to remind me of bush ignoring the intel that could have prevented 9-11. He too pushed back at reality for his own agenda.
I do not think the panic could have been prevented by anything short of an ability to see perfectly into the future. And it would have had to be foreseen a decade ago to have prepared for it in any manner that would have come close to adequate. I do concede that Donald Trump certainly should have immediately moved to replenish the Federal government's emergency medical supply stockpile that President George W. Bush had put into place and which was used up by President Barack Obama to fight H1N1.
But no matter what, people would still be out of work and many businesses will be closed forever as a result of this. There still would have been a rush on grocery stores for household supplies and non-perishable foods. This disease is going to cause many of us to lose loved ones who may have survived less serious viral infections due to overwhelming our healthcare infrastructure. Nothing could have or would have completely prevented the sense of emotional panic and dread over this virus.
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